Bones of Evangelion
by enigmasky
Summary: Try to survive an apocalyptic world filled with nothing but creatures hellbent on finding you. Live and witness the lives of the teens who survived instrumentality and their growth as they try to survive in a world of utter devastation. CH. 6 is up!
1. Honey Trail

**I've decided to make this fic a chapter based one rather than one shot since it would take too long to write it all at once. Kinda works considering it's really suspenseful. Quick Note: this story takes place several years after third impact and now the two of them are older. Let me know if I should continue because I have a hectic few months ahead and if I don't have encouragement I'm probably gonna stop or delete it. Tell me if you think this story has somewhere to go. I've had this idea for a while and thought I'd put it down. Here goes. **

**Bones of Evangelion**

**Honey Trail **

**Disclaimer: As always no characters, titles, or settings are owned. **

Asuka pulled the metal doors open slightly, peering outside she was pleased to see the rising sun just over the hills towards the west. The Earth had been knocked out of its original rotation resulting in the opposite directions of weather patterns including the rising of the sun. She didn't care however, as long as the sun rose in the morning was enough to boost her morale. She opened the doors wider and poked her head through, her long dusty red hair flowing in the morning breeze. She inhaled deeply, the scent of LCL, the liquid used back when they were EVA pilots, laced the air heavily. She had gotten used to it over the two years since the Instrumentality project. Two years two long.

She pried open the doors allowing the warehouse to be filled with the cool oxygen. She peered behind her to the sleeping boy who lied several feet away in a deep slumber. She had almost felt bad she made him stay awake almost the entire night but they had struck an agreement; she would be the one to go and salvage materials while he maintained a lookout. It took a toll on them both but she the pang of guilt was still there, maybe she took the easier job, she thought.

The warehouse was their settlement, she could remember scavenging and moving locations constantly and finally finding a place they deemed their home was somewhat comforting. They had lived in abandoned apartments for some time until they began to deteriorate their resources within the city. She could remember the routine, making themselves comfortable at one location only to move to another once their supplies around it began to deplete. About several months ago they migrated into the once suburban areas of Japan hoping to find more basic resources. The land was brittle and ill of life but the Earth began to rebound. She had found moist soil several miles from the warehouse that could use to plant, however, she didn't want to get her hopes up so instead she marked the spot and left it be promising herself she would return when the time was right.

She climbed the ladder she and Shinji had constructed together and entered the second floor; the stairs had long since deteriorated into nothing more than a pile of rusted twisted metal. They kept their supplies up here only coming to add more into their inventory when they've found enough to use. She picked up a rucksack she had sewn and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed a long sheet she had found months ago and slipped it over her shoulders. The atmosphere she noticed had weakened; many times when she had gone to scavenge she had exposed herself to severe sunburns even when the temperature was too low. Her makeshift cloak provided some protection but not completely.

She made her way out of the warehouse her rucksack and cloak in tow. She began to close the metal doors but before she sealed them she took one final glance at the boy who had now moved in his sleep and was lying on his stomach. She smiled, she loved him dearly, and he was the only thing she had left to be proud of. Her pride, she thought, the very bane that brought her misfortune wasn't the same as it used to be. Her pride now was in him and hopefully, one day, in something else. She sealed the doors and turned to her environment. She could see the sun struggling to climb the mountains in the distance, the sky above a dim blue mixed heavily with a shade of violet. There were no clouds and the ring of souls that once hovered around the Earth had faded about a year ago, what happened to it she could not say but the sight was welcoming as it became a sign of normalcy.

She followed the dirt trail that led to a small village, she had come here the day before only to scout. She had learned from countless trial and errors the best thing she could so was to first examine areas of interest before she tried to loot them; saved her time and energy. It took her nearly an hour to get to the village, the light of the sun cascading her shadow against the dry ground. It was a small private community, she thought, broken down houses lined up with one another in a uniform pattern. No doubt this was a small commune.

She made a beeline to the first house she saw, she tried the front door.

Oddly enough it was locked.

She scanned around hoping to find something to help her get in. She circled the home trying to spot a weak point and was relieved to find a shattered window. She stacked several large stones to make a pile high enough to allow her to climb in; she wrapped her forearm with her cloak and struck the fragments of glass that jutted from the window frame in hopes of saving her from a nasty gash. She struggled at first but once she found some footing she slithered into the abandoned home and onto the dusty wooden floor. It was dark and the smell of mildew and LCL was heavy. Dropping her back she began to search for anything that held any practical use. She had found a leaded pipe lying on the ground and used it to smash cabinets and anything that resembled a storage unit.

Nothing.

She sighed in defeat. Not even medical supplies.

She searched a second home and then a third… nothing.

She was growing frustrated and began to curse in German under her breath (she was quite surprised she still remembered how to speak it), she hated returning without anything. Failure was still something she couldn't submit to even if danger was standing between her and her goal. She reached the last home and inhaled deeply forcing the fear of coming up empty handed to subside and seep back into her stomach. Finding her way in she headed into the kitchen; food was something that was scarce and after three years of no refrigeration it was hard to find anything that wasn't rotted. She opened a vacant looking cabinet and immediately her eyes widened.

Several cases of honey.

She almost wanted to scream in delight, this was the first time in nearly a year she had found honey. Taking her rucksack she immediately began to carefully lay the cases of the sugar compound within it making sure they wouldn't crack under its own weight. She had also found several canned foods but as to whether or not they were still "good" was yet to be determined but there was no time to speculate so she threw it in along with her grand find. She continued to search the house and found some twine she could use along with several old clothes she could break down and use for its material. She wandered deeper into the household but found nothing else of value; she was just about to make her leave when her eye caught something of interest.

She walked into a room; the wallpaper peeled and chipped forgetting its once cheery colors and the theme of childhood. An infant's crib sat at the other end of the room, random toys littered the ground, a lonely teddy bear sat by himself within the confines of a small box. She suddenly felt upset for reasons she could not identify. She could hear the faint echoes of laughter and joy that once encompassed the room. A child used to live in here, she thought. She looked down and noticed a small book, its pages brown and brittle, a film of dirt and grime layered the front cover. Picking it up she traced her dirt laced fingertips over it, a sense of loss filled her.

And then a sense of want.

She forced the book into her pack and left.

When she returned to the warehouse Shinji was awake. He had let her in and watched as she unpacked her findings leaving the honey for last. Once she pulled that out a look of glee was evident on his face and she smiled at him.

"Thank we're gonna have good food tonight?" she asked him, a sly smile on her lips.

Shinji nodded and said: "Thanks to you," He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him in return; she reached back into the bag and noticed something moist hit her fingertips.

"Damn," she said, "One of the cases cracked."

Shinji made light of it: "Don't worry you got enough to last for a month." He began to stack the cases but ended up hitting her sack with one.

The book she had found fell from her bag and onto the floor. Shinji caught sight of it and picked it up.

"What's this?" he asked. She quickly snatched it from him.

"It's nothing," she said, "Just a book."

Shinji stared at her unable to figure out her latest joke; she was notorious about pulling a fast one on him. But he couldn't find the punch line. He decided to give up on trying; knowing her it was already a lost cause.

He said to her, "Alright at least you got back before sundown with the things we need."

She watched him as he replaced the empty contents of the bag with the supplies and hoisted himself onto the ladder and onto the second floor. She turned away and stared at the book. She couldn't tell why she was so deflective about it; it was only a maternity book.

Suddenly a pang of loss crept up within her again. She opened it; the pages slumped over clearly bogged down with moisture as she slipped her fingertips in between. The words were smudged but still readable and for some reason she was relieved. As she glanced the pages her heart began to grow wanting but she couldn't find out what. She closed it and tossed it into the corner. She was getting weak, she thought, every day was a struggle.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was routine. Both of them checked the power grid and took an inventory on their supplies. Asuka took the old clothes she had found and shredded them leaving Shinji to roam and watch the perimeter.

Then suddenly, the lights gave out.

"Shinji!" called Asuka from the second floor, "What happened? I thought we just checked the generator?"

She could hear his bare footsteps blindly make their way to where the generator was.

He called back, "I don't know! They seemed fine before, you have to come down here, you know more about electricity than I do." She cursed in German; sometimes she wondered how he would survive without her. She felt around and managed to climb the ladder down but as she did she felt the ground shake subtlety. The walls of the warehouse began to shake. She could feel her heart fall, not tonight, she thought.

Shinji whispered forcefully, "Asuka did any of them follow you back?"

"Don't be a fricken moron!" she tried to whisper, "It was morning, they can't be out in the daylight." Suddenly a sickening feeling erupted in her stomach.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

"What?"

"They must have picked up the scent of the honey," she said, "one of the cases were leaking… I think they followed the trail."

**Review please**


	2. Cross

**Thanks to those who reviewed. Love you all. Hope this story is living up to your expectations and let me know what you think. **

**Cross  
**

The two of them stayed up all of that night waiting for the sounds to subside before they could sleep peacefully. Asuka hated living this way, in constant fear, unable to do a thing about it but run. They had no names to call the abominations that hunted them like animals, however, they had figured out why there were being hunted.

"They want to completely rid the Earth of humans and start anew," said Asuka, staring miserably at the wall with her head resting on her knees, "I don't think we were meant to survive instrumentality. Someone did something they weren't supposed to do… and now we are a blemish to this new perfect world."

Shinji could only nod in agreement; there was nothing he could say to deter that idea. He found his way to the supplies and withdrew a small canister of honey from one of the cases and brought it down. He sat beside her and opened it tilting his head back and taking in the sweet contents. He handed it to Asuka who swatted her hair behind her shoulder and began to drink too. She licked her lips, her hunger subsided, at least they had found food, she thought.

"What do we have to do today?" he asked her, he often resorted to asking her the agenda. She had more of an idea of what they need to do, "We have food for a while and the electricity came back on."

Asuka stood and lifted a small hatch exposing the outside world to her, she peered out.

"I want to get guns," she said.

Shinji stared not sure how to make of it.

She looked at him, "We can't keep running away, we have to defend what's ours."

"But Asuka, where are we gonna find anything like that. You need to maintain weapons, oil them, and replace their parts. Probably nothing works now. Even if we find a working rifle we have to worry about ammunition and whether or not they are in stable enough condition to shoot. Not only that we have to keep looking for them and that can take the time out of scavenging for the necessities to look for them. I don't think we can afford that," he said.

She ignored him and went up to the supply deck and found her cloak, she donned it and returned to the first floor approaching the metal doors.

Shinji stared, what was she doing?

"I'm going back into the city, there's bound to be something we could use to ward them off," she said.

Shinji shot her a look of alarm, back to the city? That was close to entire day of walking, there was nowhere to take refuge when night came. It was pure luck they even got this far, she was tempting fate. He jumped to his feet and placed himself between her and the doors.

"No," he began, "I can't let you."

Asuka ignored him. "You and I both know it has to be done, we can't live without some kind of protection."

He shot back: "We have enough; they don't know we are here. We are lucky they decided to not swarm the place. All we have to do is lay low and we'll be fine. Asuka, you can't risk getting killed out there. It's hard enough I have to let you go by yourself to salvage."

She looked at him; he began to pull at her heart strings.

"I don't want to live in fear anymore, Shinji." – The young man froze, her use of his name a rarity and a form of solid discussion—"I don't want anyone who comes along to feel afraid. I made too many damn mistakes in my life and letting this continue will be yet another. If you're so cautious, come with me," she said.

He stared at her.

She stared back.

They left that morning; Shinji filled a spare bag Asuka had sewn with food for several days. They grew accustomed to rationing and thusly their bodies adjusting. Asuka walked ahead of him, she often liked the position of leader and he was content with obliging. Her limbs were skinny and her hair long since lost the bright fury red hue it once harbored proudly. She was older now reaching seventeen granted they had no real sense of time so they made it a habit to count the days.

He loved her, he couldn't help smile because of it. He remembered after Instrumentality their reunion. How unpleasant it was. He felt a pang of guilt; he remembered choking her, the rage he felt inside…

_… Disgusting… _

They were at complete odds for months, ignoring each other, purposely sabotaging each other to comprise their survivability, stealing, anything they could to completely demoralize the other. Then, he remembered, stumbling on Asuka… crying. Guilt had never enforced its ugly grip on him until then. He swallowed what little pride he maintained and offered to pursue their lives, she didn't agree at first but once she came to terms that her life would depend on their communication she reluctantly gave in.

It took another few months to fall in love.

He wasn't sure if it was because he was the only other person alive or that she deeply held feelings for him, it didn't matter. He loved the feeling and her affection in return. Their relationship developed slow, ushering in different stages of kindness and affection. She still maintained her old ways, calling him names and sarcastically commenting on his work but it was only the shadow of what her abuse could've been.

They followed an abandoned highway to the city; the once paved roads were nothing more than an organized pile of rubble heading towards the urban landscape. By mid-morning they reached a checkpoint, they could tell by a pole that stuck out from the Earth. Asuka had planted it there many months ago in case they ever decided to come back in the same direction. The pole stood before a vacated home, they made refuge here the last time they had came across it.

"You think any of the things we left here made it?" asked Shinji.

Asuka glared at him. "Who else would try to get them?"

"You never know, Dawn Runners are always looking for food," he said.

Asuka nodded. There were two types of creatures they tried to avoid. Dusk Runners and Dawn Runners; both frightful in their own rights and both bloodthirsty. In theory, thought Asuka, both were constrained to the nighttime but made certain appearances at certain times. Dawn Runners were scouts; they would search for their scent in the morning and try to pinpoint their location while the Dusk Runners would go in for the kill that same evening. One did the planning, the other executed. She assumed it was a Dawn Runner that followed the leaking trail of honey yesterday, she thought, they were going to have to be more cautious. They couldn't risk another alert like that.

"God drowned the Earth, forcing humanity to start anew," began Asuka, "We survived his second attempt and now he's pissed… so he's sending someone else to finish the job."

Shinji always felt eerie when Asuka prophesized, for some reason, he felt whatever she said was fact rather than her own personal answer to the situation. They entered the small home; everything was exactly the same since they left it.

"We can rest here for an hour," said Shinji dropping the bag he carried, "Hopefully we can gather some supplies we left here."

Asuka sat herself on the dirty old sofa; she could feel the damp surface give way to her weight. She waited until Shinji disappeared into the other rooms before she pulled her book out from under her cloak. She managed to clear the grime off the cover and dried some of the pages allowing her to read more. All of the information was so foreign; having no mother of her own for the most of her life she could not understand much of what the pages were trying to tell her but an internal instinct forbade her from totally misunderstanding. She wondered how it would be to have her own child, although the idea was farfetched and somewhat prohibited, she still imagined having a small person resembling her, watching her every move and mimicking her with incredible accuracy. Then something happened that caught her completely off guard.

She smiled.

She shook her head and tossed the book behind her, no, she thought, this was unlike her. She didn't want a kid; she didn't want to be a mother. It was difficult enough surviving with an absent minded guy let alone with a child. Then something clicked in her head, who would she have a kid with?

Shinji…

She busted out laughing.

Shinji wandered into the room staring at the girl who was now writhing on the floor in an uncontrollable burst of hysterics. He wondered what brought on this bout of humor.

Asuka and Shinji discussed their next course of action. They decided it was too dangerous to try to continue their pilgrimage back into the city without hitting the next checkpoint. The walk to the next marker would force them to travel in the dark so it was best to spend the night at their current location until the morning. Shinji found old linen sheets they had left here several months ago and laid it out in the attic. Runners in general were not incredibly intelligent and would bypass anything that would force them to use their motor skills, case in point anything to do with switches, levers and knobs so they wouldn't go through the trouble of unlatching an attic door. Night was approaching, a tense of time for the both of them. They sat together on the sheets in conversation; they had found talking eased their anxieties. It wasn't until the topic of food came up was when Asuka said: "Damn, we left our food downstairs."

She got up and unlatched the attic door and climbed down. The broken walled hall remained still and dark but she managed to remember her path back to the first floor. Their supply bag sat in the dining room and with a wave of her hand her fingertips caught the hem and pulled it towards her, the sound of jars and random supplies echoing softly into the room.

A low growl hummed nearby.

Her body froze, the hairs on her neck stiffened and stood. She tried her best to hold back her tears and gasps. She tried to detect where the sound was coming from. Was it outside or even worse inside? She stood perfectly still straining her ears in order to get a good idea if whether or not she should try to flee. Suddenly she could hear footsteps approaching and she wanted to scream, her heart kicked up and her legs were trembling to the point they felt as if they were to give out.

"Asuka, you alright?" whispered Shinji. She extended her hand to the voice and found Shinji's arm, she pulled him in.

She whispered frantically: "There's a runner… somewhere…"

She could feel his heart within his chest, he knew what that meant.

"Is it in the house?" he whispered back.

She couldn't say for sure but just then another hideous growl slithered in followed by a creak of the wooden floor. She whispered in his ear: "Inside,"

Shinji took her hand and carefully planted himself to the wall making sure his feet didn't hit any wood that jutted from the floor. Asuka followed holding their supply back over her shoulder; despite the darkness she could feel herself forcing her eyes to pierce the darkness in order to locate the beast. They reached the step ladder that led to the attic; Shinji pushed Asuka forward allowing her to climb first.

Then they were caught.

Shinji peered behind him, the pitch black interior of the hall lit up with several pairs of hellish red eyes. His own eyes widened as he used his strength to push Asuka up and into the attic. He felt a sudden gust of wind behind him and the rapid stampede of his impending doom. They're coming, he thought! Asuka's heart fell when the sound of several horrifying screeches bellowed from below, she threw the bag into the corner and reached down to grab Shinji who had just begun his ascent. His bony but strong hand clutched her forearm and with all her might she pulled. The ladder was engulfed in a sea of eyes, all red and all crying tears of blood, a blackish smoke rose through the attic opening like snakes slithering to catch its prey. Asuka noticed the hellish presence beginning to surround her, her heart slammed itself against her chest; she pulled using every muscle in her body. Shinji fell onto the attic floor and he could hear the hatch close behind him. He turned to see Asuka lower a metal pry bar into the slot that bound the hatch to the floor sealing it from within. Both of them heard the lower floors being ripped apart and suddenly the fear of the house collapsing became real. Sickening snarls and cries echoed into the night and just as it came, it went.

It took Shinji a moment to realize he was panting rapidly, Asuka faced away from him seemingly hunched over in exhaustion.

He was afraid to speak but his gut felt something was wrong, "Asuka? Asuka what's wrong?"

Her body suddenly fell backward hard exposing a deep, almost blackish, wound on her chest. She looked wildly at the ceiling coughing and panting, her limbs contorted, blood spilled from her thin lips, her back arched in pain. Shinji immediately hovered over her, his eyes brimming with tears unable to figure out what was happening. Her arm shot out from her side and gripped his collar, pulling him down Asuka stared directly into his eyes. It was if he wanted to say something but could not. He peered at the wound; it was two deep gashes layered over one another. He gazed at it and suddenly it resembled that of a cross. He took the sheet he laid earlier and covered her wounds applying enough pressure to stop it.

"Don't…," he began, his tears falling like rain from his cheeks, "Please… don't die,"

**Review :)**


	3. Salvation

**Here ya go, another chapter. Tell me what you think or what's going on :)**

**Salvation  
**

Shinji didn't sleep at all that night; his heart was weak and his eyes sore. Asuka lay beside him, her chest rising and falling softly, her face serene and her body calm. He managed to stop the bleeding and clean the wound with an old bottle of rubbing alcohol he had found. He looked at her, her cloak draped over her breasts only exposing the center of her abdomen which revealed a rosy hue from the dried blood. He couldn't find out how she was gashed but it wasn't lethal, it was like the Runners weren't trying to kill them yet, rather… send them a message. The sun was dawning eliminating the threat of any unwanted attention but it couldn't ease the young man's apprehension. He wanted to go back, he wanted to forget this pilgrimage and live out their lives. He even contemplated carrying Asuka back to the warehouse himself but he knew he wouldn't make it far enough without risking getting caught in the dark.

He dug into the supply back and took a jar of honey; he smeared some between his fingers and hovered it above her lips.

"I know you're hungry, Asuka," he said teasingly trying to bypass his inner fears. She stirred; he could feel her nostrils take in a lungful of air along with the scent of the aged honey. Her lips parted allowing him to rest the honey on her lower lip. Her tongue slithered gathering the tasty contents, it seemed as if she was suddenly revitalized. She didn't open her eyes, however, her right hand lifted and traveled to her chest and traced the wound.

Her voice was hoarse: "They didn't kill me?"

Shinji couldn't help but smile; he got to his knees and hovered over her hoping to find more signs of life from his companion.

"No, no. You're still here," he said, "you're alive."

"Dammit," she hissed.

He didn't understand but ignored it.

"Asuka, let's go back. It's too dangerous here, I mean look at what's ahead of us, and we nearly got killed last night! Let's go back home, we don't have to do all this," he pleaded. Asuka's eyes strained open, her chest felt sore and surges of pain erupted when she felt a cough materialize. She attempted to sit up but Shinji didn't allow it. He got more honey and used the lid of the jar as a cup to feed some to her. She swallowed the honey heavily, her energy returning. She remained quiet, he was hoping she was contemplating on abandoning their pilgrimage and returning to their beloved warehouse but he was surely mistaken.

"No," she said flatly, "this is all the more reason to keep going."

Shinji felt his spirits fall.

"What?"

She managed to sit herself up by leaning her elbow. "You heard me, we have to keep going."

Shinji thought as if he was given a suicide mission.

"Asuka, don't you get it? You nearly died last night!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, I know that, but you know what? I have nothing to lose," she said. Shinji felt stung from that comment. They ate in silence, both knew what the other wanted but weren't willing to succumb. Shinji desperately tried to think of an alternative but his heart tensed when Asuka got to her feet and looked sturdy enough to stand.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She knelt down and found her cloak, "Getting ready to leave."

"What? Now?"

"If we wait here we can't get to the next checkpoint in time," she said.

"Asuka, look at you, you're not even fully recovered. It's going to take you longer to get there; it might even take you until sundown to get there. Can you risk that?" he asked hoping she would reconsider.

"I'll take my chances,"

"You can't!"

"I can… and I will,"

"Stop being so stubborn!" he yelled in protest.

Despite her injury she shot him a look of pure disgust. "And what are you being, a coward?"

"I'm trying to look after you!"

"What a wondrous job you've done!"

"I don't want you to die!""

"Me either but you know what? It's better living in misery in this hell hole!"

"Are you telling me you have nothing to live for?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you!" she screamed as she made her way to the attic hatch door.

Shinji decided to tread unknown territory. "What about a kid?"

She stopped immediately, her breath gone from her lungs.

Her head turned slightly, "What are you talking about?"

Shinji could feel he was lurking into a topic he shouldn't have but he kept his eyes on her, determination brimming within. "You can't tell me you have nothing to live for. You and I both know there's a chance that may happen that one day, it won't just be you and me anymore."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied. Shinji dug into the supply bag and tossed the maternity book before her.

"Really?" he said, "Then what's that?"

Asuka eyed the book and felt like her secret had been realized.

"I found it," she said, "no big deal."

"Is it that why you've wanted to do it so badly for the past few months?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

"No," she said, "It was my only solace from this hell. You can't blame me,"

He stared at her. "No, but I can hold you responsible. Now I know why, it wasn't because you had deep feelings for me; you just wanted a kid, right?"

Her whole plan was beginning to unravel, it was true. Could they honestly pretend that their own desires and needs could go unanswered for years, especially hers? They weren't new at it; they both knew that since their first was with each other. However, her intentions were darker and she was ashamed to admit it. She wondered what motherhood would be like, how would it feel, how could she give something she never had… a mother?

She said nothing as she forced herself down the attic ladder and into the mangled home. She didn't bother to look around or even take supplies; she fled to the outside, the morning sun beaming harsh and direct light. Her chest hurt like hell but she could take pain, she was once an EVA pilot. Pain was nothing short of familiar.

By that evening Asuka had found the second checkpoint, it was an old trailer hidden within a forest that separated the suburbs from the city. She knew Shinji had gone back, that coward. She didn't care, she could move faster as one then as a couple. She spotted a long pole sticking from the ground confirming she had reached it. The trailer was small and dingy but within it she knew there were enough supplies to last her a few days.

Being alone held an odd feeling, for years she was used to someone being beside her either complaining or serving as a critic. She shook her head; she wasn't going to miss him. She pried open the trailer door, dust and stale air seeped from within. As she entered she could remember stumbling upon this trailer many months ago and stocking it full of supplies her and Shinji could use. She made a bee line for the bed in the back, the walk here was extensive and she could feel exhaustion looming behind. She sat herself on the moldy mattress, the silence was deafening. She lied down and stared at the cracked ceiling, her stomach had been acting up but she paid no mind to it, all she wanted to do was sleep.

And sleep came without an invitation.

She woke the next morning and vomited. She managed to roll off the bed and onto the floor in time but her stomach still ached, she must've eaten something bad, she thought. She climbed back onto the bed, her throat burned and she was in dire need for water. She quickly made her way to front end of the trailer and pulled off the rotted cushions that sat over a metal bench. There she found large containers of water she and Shinji had filtered. They've learned to seal the containers the best they could realizing if left be without the seal the water would grow bacteria or other harmful pathogens, Shinji had a bad encounter with that. She took the container and with her teeth pried the massive layers of duct tape from the cap. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to rip it off but once she did so she chugged the water letting it flow over her cheeks and all over her face. It was warm but it still refreshed her throat which ceased to burn and bitter taste. Her stomach pains began to subside but then hunger soon took its place. She looked within the bench and found several tightly sealed canned foods. She quickly made her way to the driver's seat and dipped her hand between the cushion and window and found a dull knife she had hidden a while ago. Taking the knife she plunged it into the can's exterior releasing its contents in a small jet. At least she wouldn't go hungry, she thought.

She gathered several containers of water and food and shoved it in a bag she had found and slung it over her shoulder. Her chest was sore but no longer pained her, although it still looked as if someone had lit a campfire on it.

The sun rose over the mountains, the once vibrant forest filled with green was nothing more than barren dead tree trunks that leaned at every angle. She treaded several roads before coming into contact with a once intact highway. She followed it being careful to remember her path in case she decided to head back.

The city was now vast heaps of metal and debris, LCL sat in large pools undisturbed, old shops and stores sat alone. She wandered through, her footsteps echoing through the empty carcasses of metal. Everything felt as if it were frozen in time unable to recover from the devastation that occurred. She needed to find a secure place to set up, she couldn't find anything if she didn't have anywhere to come back to.

It took her several hours but she found a broken down apartment building with enough cover to shield her from the outside, if any runners came her way she would be able to hide for the night. Most of the buildings around had shattered walls and caved in ceilings, to find just one room with those requirements were difficult so she felt as if she struck gold.

She tried to remember the layout of Tokyo but her memory of the once vibrant city was nothing more than a shadow of what it once was. She wandered down several streets, stopping every few minutes to loot some nearby stores in hopes of finding anything she needed. It wasn't until she reached a pool of LCL did her stomach pains suddenly resumed her agony. She tried to contain herself but the pressure that began to build was too much and she found herself slumped over purging. She grew annoyed, her stomach began to grow hungry again, and this cycle would make her starve! She dug into her sack and drank her container of water, for some reason it was the only thing that would calm her stomach. After traveling several streets and finding nothing of use she decided to turn and head back to her camp. She could resume her search for weapons tomorrow.

She was hungry but all she had were canned foods which were on the verge of becoming rotted. At this point it wouldn't matter, she thought, she just needed enough energy to find something to help ward of those creatures. She found her bag and to her surprise a jar of honey sat neatly at the top. She stared at it unable to remember if she even took a jar with her. Who cares, she thought? She found herself chugging the contents heavily, despite rationing food for years she never found herself to be this hungry. It was as if her stomach had a mind of its own. Moments later she lied on her back and felt her eyelids go heavy, she turned to her side and before she knew it she was fast asleep.

Little did she know, Shinji stood nearby, a jar of honey in his hand.

**Haha, who didn't see that coming? Review please**


	4. Decision

**Alright, I'm not sure to continue this fic because I have the feeling its not turning out the way i was hoping but anyhoo I hope someone likes it. So here you go, chapter four, might be the last not sure yet. Well, if you like let me know :)**

**Decision  
**

Asuka made a mental note of the most important locations she had found: an old pharmacy, a market, pawn shop and a series of garages that harbored several dismantled cars. She found some old medical supplies that seemed to be in decent amount shape to come of some use. She kept them in her nook keeping a mental inventory of her supplies. So far she wasn't disappointed; the medical supplies alone were enough to celebrate about. She managed to find a jar of honey and she immediately wrapped it in her cloak to prevent it from cracking and spilling its contents; a repeat of the other day would be catastrophic.

She found herself staring at one of the abandoned cars that sat idly within the corrupted garage. She couldn't help but feel she was staring at something valuable but pinpointing the reason was a challenging feat. The driver door was open and she sat herself in, everything seemed to be in good shape; the seats were still solid, the chassis revealed slight oxidation (rust) but the real question was will it still run? She walked to the front of the car and pried the hood open, the engine and its components were intact and looked relatively preserved. Her hopes began to lift, maybe the car would run.

"So, are you gonna stalk me or help me out here?" she said. She heard someone sigh behind her as the footsteps inched towards her.

He said to her: "How did you know it was me?"

She glanced at him giving him a strange look.

"How else did I get honey in my bag?" she told him.

He had no response for that. He made his way to the front end of the car and dropped his supply bag at his feet, "What are you planning to do with this? Don't tell me you plan on trying to get it started."

She fiddled with some of the engine parts and said: "That's exactly what I'm doing."

He sighed; he knew that would mean he would have to take part in her new project.

"What about the guns? Didn't you come here to look for weapons?"

"Of course, but it would be even better if I had a ride to get it all back to the warehouse," she stated. Shinji hated the way her logic worked, it made no sense to him at first but when she explained it all fell in place with eerie precision. She began to fiddle with the car contents, unscrewing objects from place and examining them then placing them back. Shinji watched in fascination as she began to work, maybe her early college was coming in handy.

She cursed in German and said to him: "The battery is dead."

Shinji didn't understand what that meant, "So?"

"So? That means without a spark we can't ignite the fuel to combust. Without it we have no pressure,"

"Can't the battery be recharged?" he asked.

"Yeah, it could but we don't have anything like that here."

"We made a power circuit back at the warehouse," he said hoping his idea would spark another.

Asuka thought about it but shook her head, "We need a lot more car batteries to make a power circuit and I checked the other cars, everything is dead."

Shinji thought for a moment, how could he manufacture raw energy into electricity? He tried to think back to middle school and early levels of high school. One of the principle points of energy, he thought, began with the most rawest of resources. He needed to convert a basic resource into a complex one… but what could he use?

"Fire," he said snapping his fingers.

Asuka looked at him puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

It made sense now. "Listen; if we can build and harness a large fire with some kind of gas we can make a fuel that can power a motor. Since these other cars don't work and we need only one, we can use their parts to help convert the fuel into electricity," – he looked around—"what's the part of the car that converts the fuel into electricity?"

She blinked, "The alternator?"

"Yeah, that. If we can grab a motor, feed it with our makeshift fuel; make it spin an alternator it can charge our battery and whatever fuel we have left we can use as gas for the car!"

She could only stare; did this idiot really make a brilliant suggestion?

Shinji had found an old industrial barrel behind the garage and placed it inside. It didn't take Asuka long to find splintered wood lying around and once she had found it she handed it to Shinji who placed it inside the barrel.

"It's gonna take too long to find a smaller barrel," he said looking up into the sky. The sun was beginning to fall hinting to their retreat, "We need to head back."

Asuka agreed and they both headed back to their refuge. As night approached Shinji could feel something was off about Asuka. Although she acted normally something about her seemed to be different. He let her walk in front of her; although a normal habit it also allowed him to watch her. Her walk seemed different. Normally she walked with extreme authority but now her strides were softer and gentle, her heavy expression was replaced with a softer one and she hunched forward slightly. Was it in his head? They reached the damaged apartment building and once she pried the door open her hands shot up to her mouth. She darted down the damaged lobby and around the corner where he heard the sound of liquid splattering across the floor.

"Asuka?" he called, "You alright?"

He didn't attempt to see the mess she had made but stayed at the other end of the hall making sure the coast was clear before he approached.

She coughed and said: "I'm fine; I must've eaten something bad."

That's odd, he thought, everything she has eaten he had eaten, if she was sick wouldn't he also be affected? She coughed again and another torrent of liquid hit the floor.

He tried to fight the urge to stay away but his curiosity continued to increase, hugging the wall he managed to catch a glimpse of her. She slumped over a wall, the floor around her covered with a whitish substance. He watched her hand slowly hover over her stomach and suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

She suddenly sensed his presence and her head whipped in his direction, "Do you mind?"

They sat in pitch darkness that night; they hadn't gotten around to building a new light source so this was to be expected. Shinji lied awake staring at the cracked ceiling listening to his own breathing and in heavy thought.

"Shinji?" whispered Asuka.

He turned his head to her, "Yeah?"

"Can… can you rub my lower back? It's killing me," she said, Shinji could tell she was having difficulty asking him for a favor. He turned to his side and felt for her, his hand found her shoulder and he slowly traced it down her spine. Her skin was soft and he could feel her ribs and bones right underneath. He reached the small of her back and applied pressure.

"Ah!" she squealed elbowing him in the chest, "Not so damn hard."

"Sorry," he said as he relented. She lied on her side which he began to notice, for the past week she had been doing so and this would be the tenth time she had asked him to do her this favor. "Hey, Asuka?"

"What is it?" she mumbled.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did, dork."

"Are we… you know… lovers?"

Silence ensued, he knew the question was bold but the silence just emphasized it.

"I don't know," she said to him, "We did it only a handful of times and like you thought I was using you, no reason to think so much into it."

He felt somewhat disappointed but not surprised. "So, we don't really love each other?"

"I never said that," she said.

That was somehow comforting, "Well, we kiss sometimes…"

"Put it this way, do you see any other girls out here?"

"So are you putting up with me because there are no other guys here?" he asked.

She thought for a moment and replied: "You could put it that way."

"So you wouldn't care if I said I didn't love you?"

Silence again followed.

Her voice suddenly became serious, "Don't… don't joke like that."

He could hear her turning and facing him, "I know you; you wouldn't do very well by yourself. That's why you need me."

"Who said I needed you?" he asked.

"I did," she replied, "I bet you're too much of a wuss to kiss me right now."

He leaned forward and found her lips with his.

"Why do you make things do difficult?" he asked her.

He heard her scoff, "I'm not the only one who makes things difficult."

"Do you think anyone will come back?"

"No," she said, "I don't think anyone would _want _to come back."

"Would you be disappointed if it was just you and me?"

"I suppose I would but I've gotten used to you,"

"And if we had a kid?"

"A kid? Ha, you're funny," she said feigning laughter, "Come on, me with a kid? That's the last thing on my mind."

"Then why were you reading that book, Asuka?"

Her words suddenly lost meaning in her head, "I, uh, found it that's all. I haven't read anything in about a year. It was nice to have something for once."

Shinji took a breath; he could tell she was lying between her teeth. "Asuka, for once can you answer me in complete honesty? I know we both have shunned each other in the past but we've outgrown that. The last time we've checked we are a lot older than before…"

"You're older than me," she interrupted.

He flinched, just like Asuka, to correct him regardless if it was relevant.

"How long has it really been since Third Impact?" he asked.

"Two years," she retorted.

Shinji nodded in agreement but his mind suddenly halted in a revelation, "Wait, are you sure it's been two years?"

She punched him playfully at his chest. "Of course I am. We counted 730 days. That's two years."

"Don't you realize the days and nights are shorter? Ever since Third Impact the Earth had been knocked out of its orbit and is spinning in the opposite direction. Wouldn't that mean time here would be a lot faster?"

Asuka thought for a moment and clearly hadn't taken the Earth's new measurements into consideration.

"How do you figure"?

"Doesn't it take longer for a planet that's farther from the sun to orbit it? I mean, it takes Neptune nearly 165 years to orbit the sun which would be only 1 year for the Earth."

He could feel Asuka's eyes piercing the darkness at him. "What the hell are you getting at?"

"If we got knocked closer to the sun, doesn't that mean it takes us less time to revolve around it? Wouldn't that mean we are actually older?"

"Well, physically it wouldn't matter so much but now that you put it that way, theoretically we could already be adults," she said sounding intrigued. The idea of time passing faster than they previously thought was an interesting one but it also opened many doors, doors in which Shinji felt could possibly lead to disastrous results.

That morning they ate their breakfast consisting of honey and canned goods which tasted between stale salted water and putrefied gunk. Asuka made it her duty to find some sort of firearm; she swore to him she would risk searching at night to get to her goal. They grabbed what they could hold onto and made their way deeper into the city…

[Several hours 'til dusk]

The sun began to tremble behind the ghostly images of buildings, the temperature dropped, and their footsteps audible and echoing down the long strands of emptiness which were the streets. Asuka had spotted an old police prescient and immediately her hopes rose. There must have been weapons here.

They entered, the door creaked open, dust fluttered to their feet. Shinji felt his stomach hit the floor, he felt his heart begin to panic, something about this place wasn't right but Asuka had yet to relent on her search. They didn't have any light source to help illuminate their path so they used the dying glow of the sun that radiated through the dingy windows.

"Stay close and keep to the wall," whispered Asuka, "we don't know what's in here." Shinji nodded and stayed within inches of his companion. They found a staff room and searched every drawer, they grew disappointed when all that turned up were heaps of paper and stationary.

Shinji whispered, "Don't these places have holding cells? Wouldn't they have something around there?"

They found their way into a room filled with several chambered cells, the doors lied open hinting to the events that had unfolded after instrumentality. Asuka made her way to the warden's desk and sifted through the crap that settled within its depths.

"Shinji!" she squealed, Shinji turned to her, her eyes wide and a smile on her lips, "I found something!"

She held up a small black pistol but as she did something passed by the window plummeting them in darkness for a brief period. The two of them stared at one another then suddenly the darkness returned, this time, permanent.

[Several minutes later]

"Shinji, come on!"

"Where are you? Asuka!"

The sound of sprinting footsteps echoes, panting…

"Shut up… shut up…"

Panting… soft sobs…

"Don't say a word, for god's sake,"

Growls slithered in every direction, pitch black, her fingers trembled over the trigger… to use it on herself would be a clear getaway. She held the pistol and held it under her chin.

"Asuka…"

"Shut up… please…" – her voice was hoarse—"Shut up…"

A pair of red eyes brightened over her shoulders…

"Asuka…" he said, his voice rising almost to a shrill.

"Shut up…shut up… shut up… shut up…"

"Be…be…behind… you…"

The growl intensified…

"Shut up… shut up…"

"Asuka…"

"I said to shut up… please, Shinji…"

His heart raced, her finger groped the trigger, bullet trembling in the chamber.

"Mommy... help me…"

The eyes flickered with a chaotic red…

"ASUKA!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

A shriek bellowed… a sudden flash of light… and a gunshot.

**Night... falls... **


	5. Revelation

**Revelation **

Morning rose through the cracked windows. Dust settled. Shinji could feel his eyes slowly focusing on the dingy ceiling and his body steadily rebooting its prime functions. He sat up, his throat hurt; a light red substance covered him. It was sticky, he noted, it didn't take him long to realize it was LCL. Looking around he noticed Asuka wasn't around, the pistol she possessed sat beside him, the rim of the barrel black with gun residue. He wrapped his trembling fingers around the stock and lifted himself up. He stood there for a moment unable to remember how he got there or why. He lingered down the abandoned hall, his footsteps creaking against the stiff floorboards. He passed several rooms, all empty. He reached the stairwell and at first was afraid to traverse it because of its darkened interior but his fears subsided when he heard the sound of water trickling somewhere within. He clutched the gun and inched inward. Although it was dark he felt for the hand railing which was surprisingly still intact. Once he reached the bottom he found the brilliant morning sun cascading through a large hole in the wall, an old custodian sink that against the opposite wall and there stood Asuka; naked.

Shinji watched as she washed her face with the dirty water that trickled from the weathered faucet. Her body showed no signs of injuries, only the signs of age and malnutrition stayed true but what struck him as odd was the slight swell of her stomach. He knew Asuka to be a person who cared greatly for her physique but this sight didn't match well, it seemed as if her belly wasn't worried about food.

He misplaced his step as he descended the stairs causing a loose slab of concrete to jut out of its place and roll downward. The small piece of rock echoed loudly as it hit the fleet of steps and finally to her bare feet, however Asuka ignored it and continued to bathe in the sink completely oblivious to his presence.

Unsure whether or not to speak he found his courage and said: "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she said quickly keeping her eyes directed to the water before her.

He blinked; he wasn't prepared for such a direct answer. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

Of course she wants you to leave her alone, he thought, who wouldn't?

"It's fine, Shinji, I'm almost done."

Shinji felt his eyes narrow, the sudden out of character was slightly unsettling but what was even more disturbing was when she slipped her hair behind her ear. He felt his stomach give way when he noticed a large portion missing as if it had been either ripped or blown off. He swallowed hard; as she turned away from him to gather her clothes he noticed several deep scratches on her weathered back. They were fresh, he could tell by the droplets of blood that hung over the darkened skin.

And that's when it suddenly hit him.

"What happened last night?" he began, "How did we survive?"

Asuka slipped on her pale shirt and pulled up her old slacks and said: "We just did."

"I don't get it,"

"Here, I'm all done. Make sure you use the water sparingly, there's not a lot and the pressure in the pumps are about to give out," she said in an eerily nonchalant way. He could tell something was wrong but he couldn't confidently point it out. He decided not to pursuit it and took his turn at the sink. Once he was done they met outside, Asuka sat on the curb, her eyes staring lifelessly into the horizon.

"I'm worried about you," he said taking a seat beside her, "You're very quiet, it's unlike you."

She continued to avoid his gaze. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem like it,"

"If you ask me again I'm going to run away and not come back,"

He took the threat seriously, if he learned anything about this girl was that she honored her threats. He made no effort to continue to extort her for information so he left it at that.

They returned to the garage they had found a day earlier and like clockwork they managed to construct a fire large enough to fill the industrial barrel (they owed that to their pre-electricity days). Shinji pried one of the old gas pumps out of the ground leaving a small gap for him to fish gasoline from the tanks. By the end of the afternoon they began to ignite the gas creating steam that acted as a fuel, once they achieved it they quickly halted their progression. There was no need to burn their gasoline source so early into their project.

Asuka made no mention of the pistol Shinji now carried. He slipped it between the waist of his pants and his bare flesh and kept it there. He couldn't remember much of what had happened last night, all he could remember was feeling incredible terror to the point his body failed to maintain consciousness. He was sure he was going to die yet he didn't. This would be the second time they came face to face with the Runners and lived to tell about it.

He looked over to Asuka.

Why were they only attacking her?

Asuka told Shinji she needed to use the bathroom and promptly escaped behind their hideout to an empty alley. She vomited but not as much as before. She moved her hair away from her face and over her permanently scarred ear, tears came to her eyes.

She could remember taking the gun to her own head and holding it with her finger tightly wound around the trigger, dear God, she was so close. She fell to her knees shoving her face in her palms. The tears began to fall, she could've ended it, and she could have left this forsaken place and rested with…

"Mommy," she whispered, "I don't know what to do."

She placed her hand over her stomach.

She could feel the tremble of her suppressed sobs begin to escape her lips, she tried to fight them, and she had to be strong, not only for her but for…

"Mommy," she whispered again, "Please, help me."

She pulled the trigger, she felt the heat of the bullet ignite within the barrel, and it almost hit her, it almost went right through her chin and through her brain. But then… something happened.

She hissed: "It was you wasn't it? Mother… you were the one who made me flinch at the last second."

She could remember it now; her wrists twitched causing the gun to slip in her hands and several inches away from her face and passed her ear which took the force of the bullet. She hit one of the Runners who had found them and wounded it. She felt its claws dig into her back as it attempted to support itself after the gunshot. They wanted something from her… they wanted something and they weren't going to stop until they had it. She pressed her hand above her naval.

Not yet, she thought, not yet.

That night they laid together, Asuka remained quiet and it bothered Shinji. He was used to her constant chatter belittlement or complimentary alike. Her enigmatic demeanor made him feel alone and abandoned, he decided to speak.

"Asuka?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Runners, last night was the second time they tried to kill us and we managed to get away. Don't you think the third time is the charm?"

She said nothing but merely shrugged her shoulders.

"How can you be so calm?" he asked.

"What would you say if I was pregnant?"

"What?"

"You heard me," she said, "What would you say?"

"Asuka, don't you think that's a little off topic? We are constantly being hunted."

"Answer my question,"

He became flustered. "I don't… what… that wouldn't happen."

He suddenly felt his hand being pulled. "Feel this,"

His palm suddenly met her naval and he could feel a bulge that he wasn't accustomed to. It was warm and her hand over his gave him an odd feeling.

It suddenly hit him: "No way,"

Asuka's voice began to tremble, "They want me dead because of what I have."

It made sense now, they never were targeting the both of them, it was only Asuka they were after and it was because she now possessed their future. Shinji felt her body tremble as loose sobs fought their way from her lips.

"They've been after me because I could restart humanity," she said forcing her tears down, "They want to kill…"

Shinji could guess her words. "So that's why you wanted to find guns? So that you could protect it?"

"I had no choice," she whispered, sorrow filled her; "I didn't want it to begin with."

Suddenly a question dawned on him. "How far along are you?"

"Ninety days, three months," she said.

"That's when the Runners started to appear," he said, "There had always been a small number of them but their numbers boomed since."

"There's something worse," she said trying to keep herself in control, "I know what the Runner's are…"

Shinji's hear froze, the question that haunted and plagued his mind was now only a breath away from his ears.

"What…what are they, Asuka?"

"They…" she began, "We know them… it's God's ultimate vengeance for what we have done… to send the very ones we loved to come after us… I know it; I know that's what's after us. They are not what we think they are… they are everyone we have ever loved, Shinji. They are the ones we were surrounded by day after day…" –she wiped her tears away—"It's humanity that's after us. It's humanity that wants me dead. Jealousy and rage that burns their fuel; upset that we survived and they did not and have no way of returning anymore, God sent them back to finish what he had started… the Floods of the Earth, First impact, the plagues, the slaughter of the first child in Egypt… this is his final cleanse of the Earth… maybe God didn't intend for survivors, maybe we deified Him… there's no escaping… it's us…against the Almighty."

"How do you know all this?" he asked.

"Mother told me,"


	6. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

"You're mother?" he asked.

He could feel her nod and say: "She's one of them."

"I don't get it, didn't your mother…"

Asuka tore his hand from her stomach and stood solemnly in the darkness, her mind circulating with dozens of unexplainable answers. Her mind was shot, unable to think clearly but she could feel it in her heart. It tore her from the inside, she knew what was happening and sickeningly she knew what was to come. Shinji sat in the darkness aimlessly staring into it waiting for her to speak.

"Everyone we've ever known and loved are one of those damn beasts, God thought we would die off and he could start anew but something went wrong..." – she placed her hands around her naval—"He didn't plan on me revamping life's cycle. That's why he's sending the one's we once knew to finish us off."

She turned to Shinji. "We have to defy Him again."

"What are you saying?"

"Mankind tried to initiate a third Armageddon, trying to find His power, we did so in you, you rejected that. What if He didn't intend for that to happen, what if He thought that just by human nature we would want to initiate and rival his power? What if we fooled him and in his anger he decided to try and kill us using the ones we know adding insult to injury? What if he sat in the background and watched us do this knowing we would kill ourselves off? But now he didn't intend for us to survive…let alone restart the human cycle?"

"You're freaking me out, you know that?" he said.

For the first time in months he heard her give a sincere chuckle. "Me too."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "It's coming to me in fragments but every time we get close to death with those damn Runners another piece of the puzzle becomes…unlocked… in my head."

"So you're saying you're mother is a Runner? How can that be?"

"It's not easy to explain, I just know it."

She thought back to that night back at the house at the first checkpoint. She could remember helping Shinji into the attic right before the Runners came through. It haunted her to think back to that night but she had no choice if she wanted to piece the fragments together.

_With all her strength she pulled Shinji into the attic, she heard him land hard beside her and her hands immediately shot for the hatch. As she gripped it her eyes peered down at the abyss of Runners looking up at her with bloody stares of hunger. Right before she could shut the hatch doors a pair of eyes caught her attention. Unlike the bloodthirsty crimson orbs that hovered in the pitch black darkness, these maintained their humanity. She stared, mesmerized by the likeness. A black mist surrounded her but her attention still resided on the pair of humanistic eyes. _

_"Mother…" she whispered. _

_The eyes resembled hers, light blue, like two orbs of bright sea water gazing up at her with an eerie serene calmness. The black mists surrounded her chest… _

_"Asuka…"_

_"Mommy?" _

_"My love, do not forget…" _

_"Mommy, please, I wanna go with you, take me!" _

_"No, your place is here…" _

_"I can't, I won't… I don't want to live like this anymore!" _

_"Sleep, child, I am bounded by the chains, sleep." _

_Her whole word suddenly became dark and her body fell limp to the floor behind her, she could hear Shinji's distant calls of distress but it no longer mattered. She could feel herself slipping from consciousness and the thought of death's loving embrace encasing her became soothing. Finally, she thought, I can die… _

_"Wake up Asuka," said a voice. _

_Asuka felt herself suddenly being torn from the cozy sleep she thought was to take her to everlasting peace. She sat up, her world now a bright white. _

_There, several feet away, sat a woman, her fair skin and dark hair enveloping her ivory shoulders. _

_"Momma?" whispered Asuka. _

_The woman smiled and patted the space beside her. "Come," _

_Asuka stood, her limbs and physique back to the way it once was. _

_She sat beside her mother and asked, "Is it really you?" _

_"I'm disappointed in you," she said to her. _

_Asuka felt her heart sink, "What? Why mommy? I was a good girl, really I tried!" _

_Her mother shook her head softly and said: "I've watched you grow and become someone I never dreamed of. You've became a strong person but that strength is feigned." _

"_It's not my fault; there are so many idiots that don't understand me."_

"_They don't understand you because you don't give them a chance to, how can anyone understand you? You've fallen so far from what I wanted you to complete. You've completed much in your short lifetime but you've yet to fulfill." _

"_Aren't you happy to see me?" _

_The woman smiled and wrapped her arms around the girl and said: "Of course, Asuka. This is why I am here, to help you, like I've always have." _

_Asuka couldn't help but say: "How? How can you help me now?" _

"_You've done something that no human has ever been able to do, not since Adam and Eve has any human gone against his wishes. He did not intend for you or Shinji-kun to survive. He assumed, from human nature, that he would continue Instrumentality but to his greatest surprise it did not happen. He's all knowing and all powerful and yet he misjudged a human action. It's like the law of gravity, you can always assume something would fall back to Earth but one day that law was suddenly broken and everything started to fly into space." _

"_So we defied him… and now he wants to punish us," _

"_Yes,"_

"_Is that why the Runner's appeared? To kill us?" _

"_No, he did not send them to kill you but to kill the seed," – she pointed to Asuka's stomach—"You are the second Eve. You and Shinji are the survivors of his new world, an unexpected occurrence and thusly a second Adam and Eve. God knew what happened to the original first man and woman and how they disobeyed him. He sees this as a second try of his patience and his new goal is to stop human kind from rebounding. Mankind has gotten to the point where even He has lost control and now is his chance to wipe us clean. The human spirit is a remarkable thing, no matter the opposition we face we are always coming back to fight."_

"_What can I do?"_

"_Fight. Resist it. Make sure Eva is born." _

"_Eva? As in the Evangelions?" _

_Her mother smiled, "The Evangelions, although made of the same origin as Angels exist to fight them. If they are alive, then another Angel exists. The last Angel… is Him."_

Shinji stared, his voice suddenly lost and his mind incapable of finding the words to express what he had heard. Could it be that Instrumentality was nothing more than a front? He's meaning, his reason for living now was nothing more than to take on his role as the pilot of EVA unit 01 again. Suddenly he felt his life now had meaning, if what Asuka said was true then there was much more than to just to survive… he had to live.

A growl slithered into the room. Both teens remained still.

Suddenly Shinji's body was ripped from the room and out onto the street, debris and metal bars crashed outward and to Asuka's horror a Runner soared in the air clutching him in its grip. Thunder roared above, rain of LCL poured down drenching the air with a sour bitter scent. Asuka quickly found the pistol she had found and chased after not caring whether or not she would be spotted by another Runner.

"Hey!" she shouted cocking the pistol, "Let go of him!"

She fired several shots not realizing she was using their precious ammo. It was nearly pitch black, the LCL rain continued to pour in torrents, lightening sparked, she could feel her hair clinging to her skin.

"Asuka!"

Her eyes darted around, she lost sight of him. Looking up the only thing she could see was the bleak buildings that slumped in sorrow. She held the gun up, prepared to fire at any moment.

"Asuka! Behind you!"

She spun around but was too late. A Runner swiped at her hands and disarmed her sending her sliding across the LCL streamed street. She tried to regain her balance but the now ankle high LCL was making it difficult to find her footing. Her gun was now several feet away.

A Runner spotted her.

She crawled for the gun using her knees and feet to grip the ground underneath the murky LCL.

The Runner came closer lifting its large claws preparing to strike down… she stretched out her hand… her fingers tipped the handle…

The Runner's claw pierced the back of her hand stapling her to the ground.

Asuka screamed in pain, she clutched the giant claw and tried to pry it loose but her efforts only exacerbated as her blood began to stain the LCL an even deeper red. Suddenly she felt her body being turned and the next thing she could see was black sky. LCL poured onto her face as she cried and sobbed in pain. From the corner of her eye she saw Shinji being held against a building wall, a black mist gripping at his limbs.

"Asuka!" he called but one of the beasts held a nasty jagged claw under his throat.

Suddenly several other Runners appeared but remained docile as if waiting for something. Finally a much larger Runner appeared, its eyes calm and serene unlike its brethren.

Asuka immediately identified it. "Mommy! Please, help me!"

The runner came closer, its appearance shielded by the darkness of the night. Thunder clapped sending wave after wave of LCL crashing to the Earth. The Runner came closer, a black mist hovering below it.

"Mommy!" Asuka bellowed thrashing, "HELP ME! PLEASE! HELP ME!"

The Runner hovered above her, she stared. Those eyes, she thought… my mother… will save me…

Her sense of hearing died as she felt an immense pressure slam against her abdomen, the air in her lungs exploded from her lips alongside a thin line of blood. Shinji struggled to get free screaming at the top of his lungs but she couldn't hear. All she could do was stare at those eyes…

"Momma…why…?"

Blood seeped from the girl's lips, a sudden burst of heat sprouted from between her legs and she could feel something trickling down her thighs.

The runner's blue eyes suddenly gave way to a pair of death red.

Lightening flickered.

And they were gone.

Shinji fell to the floor hard bending his legs in an awkward position forcing him to yell in agony. He was drenched but still found his strength to crawl to her. Asuka sat upward now, her long hair hung over her face and her hands hovered over her stomach. Shinji reached her but was horrified to see she was surrounded in a pool of her own blood. He tried to call for her but she did not respond to him.

She just sat there.

A lifeless expression on her face.

She failed…

She had lost it…

Her legacy was gone.

**"And then the water disappeared, devastation ensued and humanity was left to their devices once more..." **


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, I've been in bootcamp ever since the long absence. So without a further ado here's the new installments. **

Asuka didn't say a word for weeks after that night. Shinji couldn't bear the sight of her, not because he detested her but because it only brought him pain. To lose what he knew he had only sent a mental shockwave through him and he couldn't find the strength to continue on. He sat quietly in an old shed he had found a week ago. His back against the wall, his eyes staring emotionless at Asuka who too sat placidly. His eyes wandered to her forearms where a vast assortment of lacerations and cuts peppered her once fair skin. At her bedside sat multiple gauze pads soaked with her blood. He had found her several times near death and each one marked the ending of their sanity. He no longer left her by herself in order to find food. As a result, neither of them had eaten for several days. The only thing keeping them from dying was a fresh water pond several yards away from their shed. Even that was a risk, he thought, the only thing keeping himself alive was her. But… he knew their sanity was beginning to wane. Death's embrace was no more than one fatal mistake away.

"Asuka," he whispered. She didn't respond, her eyes sat open and her gaze staring aimlessly at her lap, her arms lying lazily at her sides and her now dirty red hair clinging softly to her face, "Asuka."

He stood and sat beside her. Placing his fingers along her wrists he felt for a pulse and to his relief he found one. He wiped her bangs away from her face and noticed streams of tears falling from her magnificent blue eyes. She continued to look down as if she was unable to blink. He could feel her heart beating frantically but she seemed not to be under any harm. Finally he saw her jaw tighten and her fists curl into a ball and suddenly he knew what was going on. He decided to do something that would feel foreign to him.

He pulled her close and hugged her.

She began to cry frantically, heart wrenching screams echoed from her lips.

"WHY?!" she bellowed as she clutched him close. He didn't say a word; he kept his arms around her frail frame and lifted his head upward in efforts of shielding his own tears from escaping.

She screamed: "They took everything from me! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

He took in a deep breath and pushed out the air from his lungs; tears fell quietly as his strength almost broke. He didn't dare say a word for he knew one word would cause him to lose his battle with his inner self.

"THEY TOOK MY BABY!" she screamed, "THEY TOOK MY BABY!"

Shinji could no longer control himself as he let out a painful scream of agony as the realization of her words finally cracked his barrier. He rocked back and forth unable to comprehend what to do next. All he could do was let out whimpers of pain. They never had a chance to grieve, they didn't know how but now it seemed to connect. Their complicated relationship seemed so simple now. They needed each other. They could not survive without each other. Their… love… although misinterpreted by many was nothing short of the truth….

Reunion…

She ripped away from him so fast Shinji couldn't understand what was happening. She picked up a sharp piece of glass and kicked the shed door open, her oily and drained hair whipping from the fresh air that filled the room.

"Asuka, what are you doing?" called Shinji trying to comprehend what was going on. She ignored him and proceeded into the open. It was midday; the sun had begun to wane over the hills. She became blinded for a moment but quickly adjusted from the lack of sun.

She wasn't going to go out without a fight. She wasn't going to allow Him to win. Her life was her own and she was going to take it herself. She held the glass shard against her neck and pierced herself lightly feeling her blood slowly fall to her collar bone. Her eyes darted around awaiting some sort of answer but nothing came.

"How about I make this easier for you? I know you want me dead, why don't I do it myself huh?" she called out into the sky, "Isn't that what you want?"

Shinji's eyes widened as he finally understood what she was about to do. He quickly gained his footing and rushed out. He couldn't survive this hell without her, he would be damned if he had to bury her.

"Asuka wait!"

"You want me dead, right? You took everything I had! I defied you and I will spoil your fun by taking the fun out of trying to kill me!"

"Don't do it, Asuka! Please!"

"See you in hell!"

"NO!"

All Shinji could see what Asuka's body fall lifelessly to the ground, a harsh gurgling sound hinted to her demise. He slid to his knees and felt his hands cup his mouth in horror.

"No," he whispered, tears welled up in his eyes, "You… you idiot!"

Her eyes stared out into the abyss, blood seeped from the hideous wound she inflicted on herself. He knew she was dead. She impaled herself right through the jugular. He knelt over her.

"You FUCKING idiot!" he shouted slamming his forearms onto her corpse.

What happened next he couldn't comprehend but something within him began to stir? Something he hadn't felt since he controlled his EVA. He wanted to kill, he wanted to rage, and he wanted to find something alive so he could rip it to shreds.

He wanted to murder.

From a distance a gigantic roar echoed across the land breaking Shinji from his mental state. His head whipped around toward the dead city behind him. The roar continued to cry out as if in pain. The Earth began to tremble, the LCL clouds parted, fury was in the air. He felt his innards begin to tremble and suddenly something within him spoke:

"EVA!"

A blur of red vaulted from the horizon. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be? That battle cry was so familiar. Could they still exist? A giant wind swept through and suddenly Shinji was within a giant shade. Looking up he could feel an ominous presence hovering over him.

It took him all of ten seconds to realize…

Unit 02 was alive.

The giant Evangelion knelt over the past Asuka and effectively over Shinji. It let out a single bellow of agony as if it gained its own consciousness. Its red armor had begun to rust and some of it had completely disintegrated exposing the monstrous flesh and bone. The Eva lowered its hand and scooped up the girl holding her preciously. Shinji watched in awe as a torrent of tears overflowed the Eva's visors.

Was it really crying? Was it mourning Asuka?

The Eva looked towards the sky and stared for a moment, Shinji watched, unable to figure out what the Eva was trying to do. The sky darkened and several pairs of translucent wings flickered behind Unit 02. It screamed into the air but only became louder and louder. The Earth shook heavily forcing Shinji to grab onto something to maintain himself. It became so loud he could feel blood flowing from his ears. Finally the roaring subsided; Unit 02 then clasped its hands together with Asuka within. Shinji felt a sense of panic rushed into him but before he could say a word a brilliant light bloomed from the Eva's hands.

"Asuka!" he called.

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called."

1 Timothy 6:12


End file.
